A Secret Rose
by wolven-spirit
Summary: What happens if you get one Alex Rider, minus one sniper's bullet, plus one assassin's daughter and one secret criminal organization? One hell of an adventure, that's what!
1. Chapter One: A Hospital Visit

**Chapter One  
A Hospital Visit**

"_No pain. Just a sense of tiredness and resignation.  
Alex Rider smiled and closed his eyes."_

It was early morning. The sun streamed in through huge windows, falling across Alex Rider's face and shoulders. His fair hair was ruffled, eyes closed in sleep. He moved slightly, and the woman sitting by the bed looked up, face filled with worry. She watched him for a moment, then when he didn't get up, went back to staring into space. She was worried, wondering if he would survive the life-saving operation. Though she thought so. He was a fighter, after all.

A male nurse went to check on the boy in the bed. It was strange, he thought, that a fourteen-year-old boy had been shot. Luckily, the bullet hadn't penetrated his heart, and he would live. If he woke up.

The nurse stopped as he saw a girl walking towards the door. He knew no visitors were allowed in, on the woman's orders. He blocked her path, looking at her sternly.  
"You can't go in there. No visitors allowed."  
"Why not?"  
"No visitors allowed."  
She carried an air of superiority, and some smugness. He regarded her coldly, as an insolent teenager, nothing more. He didn't know the truth…  
"Please, I'm a friend," she protested.

"I said, no visitors allowed, girl."  
Mrs Jones, the woman sitting with Alex, looked up as she heard voices. She frowned, seeing the nurse at the door. Then her gaze moved over to the girl, and she just…looked at her, a little shocked.  
"What's she doing here?" she muttered to herself.

The girl flicked some black hair back over her shoulder, as again, the nurse refused.  
"C'mon," she pleaded, biting her lip. "I have to see Alex."  
"No. No visitors. It's a strict order."

Jack Starbright turned the corner, her usually cheery face filled with worry. She held two cups of coffee, one for herself and one for Mrs Jones. Seeing the nurse and the girl, she sighed heavily.  
"Excuse me," she mumbled, and the nurse moved from the door.  
The girl took her chance.  
"Um…Miss Starbright? Would it be okay if I saw Alex? I just wanna check he's okay; I'm a friend."

Jack looked the newcomer up and down carefully. She was tall and thin, with long straight black hair and pale skin, but blue eyes that sparkled with a wild and fiery spirit. The woman nodded slowly, much to the nurse's protests.  
"Sure you can, honey. Come on in."

The girl smiled a little, opening the door, then following Jack. Mrs Jones stood up as they came in.  
"There's been no change," she said, and Jack nodded again.  
The girl saw Mrs Jones, and looked panicked.  
"On second thoughts, I think I'll come back later," she said, turning on her heel.  
"Oh no you don't, Miss Gregorovich. Sit down."

Blue eyes flicked across the woman's face, before she sat in a chair near Alex's bed. Jack seemed confused.  
"Wait a minute…you know her?"  
Mrs Jones nodded. "Miss Gregorovich..."  
"Raisa," the girl interrupted.  
"Raisa, here, is Yassen's daughter, and is wanted in several other countries. Mostly for murder."  
Jack looked at Raisa, who just shrugged.  
"They were all past it. They were gonna die anyway."  
"Raisa, that's not the point. The point is that you're a dangerous criminal, and you've just come into an MI6 agent's hospital room when he's at his most vulnerable."

The girl sighed. "Get over it, already. If you must know, I came to warn Alex, not to kill him. I wouldn't work for Scorpia if they paid me. Which they've tried…"  
"Warn him?" asked Jack. "Warn him about what?"  
The girl watched her, a small smirk appearing on her face.  
"To warn him about Scorpia."

"Scorpia? But, they think he's dead, don't they?"  
Raisa shook her head.

"They know he's alive. They must've had surveillance or something. The sniper's dead; Alex, however, isn't. And, they're pretty angry, since Nile and Mrs Rothman were killed," she replied.  
Mrs Jones nodded.  
"And, of course, you'd come all the way back to England just to tell us this. Just for Alex's sake."  
Raisa regarded her coldly.  
"Scorpia killed my father. Maybe indirectly, but they did it all the same. I've been looking for revenge for a while, and if they're after Alex, I'll be able to track 'em down."  
"By putting Alex's life in jeopardy?" Mrs Jones replied coolly.

"No! I'm not MI6, I wouldn't do that."  
It was like a slap across the face for the woman, and she looked angrily across at Raisa.  
"Raisa, you do realise that we're going to have to arrest you."  
"What?" She didn't look surprised, just annoyed. "I've got to get this over and done with first."  
"You can't just pick when you're getting arrested, you know. You get arrested when we say, not you," the woman snapped back.  
Jack watched them for a moment, seeming a little shocked, then smiling mildly.

"So you're after Scorpia because they're responsible for your father's death. And you're helping Alex because…" Jack was still a little confused.  
"I'm helping Alex partly because my father told me to, and partly because I figured I should."  
"Yassen wanted you to help Alex?" Mrs Jones asked.  
Raisa nodded. "He knew his father, remember. He looked up to him, even though he knew…some of the truth." She smiled a little.  
"He knew the truth?"  
"Well, some of it. He knew about Albert Bridge, and about the plane afterwards…he figured most of it out. I knew exactly what it was."  
"How?" Jack asked, now interested.  
"Well, I'm not stupid…and…I also had Mrs Rothman at gunpoint and questioned her. That's why Scorpia are after me too. They think I'm working for you guys. Don't know me that well, do they?"

Before Mrs Jones had chance to reply, Alex moved in his bed. He shook his head, as if trying to get rid of a bad memory or thought. The three watched him.

Alex woke, but didn't open his eyes. He could hear people…but they sounded far away, and he didn't know who they were. In fact, why was he here? Then, memories hit him hard. He remembered the gunshot, his mother and father…

The boy blinked a few times, opening those dark, serious eyes and looking around. He saw Jack, and gave her a small smile. Then Mrs Jones. He smiled at her too, though it was more serious, instead of a cheeky grin. When he saw Raisa, however, he did a double take. It was like looking at Yassen, and he stopped, and stared at her.

The girl giggled a little, looking back at him.  
"Hi Alex," she muttered, smiling.  
"You're…you…would you happen to be related to Yassen Gregorovich?" he asked.  
"Yeah, I'm his daughter. Raisa," she replied simply.  
"He…he had a daughter!" he exclaimed, but she nodded.  
"I'm living proof of that, Alex," she said.

Mrs Jones was suddenly aware of the nurse entering the room. Alex tried to sit up, but he shook his head.  
"You have to rest; you've just had a major operation."  
Alex nodded, and stayed lying down, until the man left the room. At which time, he sat up again.

"So why are you here, Raisa?" he asked, watching her.  
"To warn you." She replied quietly. "About Scorpia."


	2. Chapter Two: A little Explaining

**Chapter Two  
A little Explaining…**

"Scorpia know I'm alive?" Alex asked, watching Raisa more intently.  
The girl nodded. "They know that you're in London too, and they're well…a little annoyed about Mrs Rothman and Nile."  
He sighed heavily, frowning, then pressing a hand to his forehead. It hurt some.  
"So, they're after me. How did you know where I was? Who I was?"

Raisa smiled, leaning back in her chair and contemplating an answer. Alex saw a little of her father in every move.  
"I knew who you were, because of stories my father told me about yours. When I was little, when my mother was alive, he would go off on missions for Scorpia. I was only about five when she was killed, and he had to either take me with him, or leave me with my aunts." She smiled a little, at the memories. "Then, he came back a few months ago, after the thing with Sayle, and told me about you. About what you'd become. I was so excited; I had to meet you. So he started taking me on missions again. I – I helped out, was pretty much in command at his side, and then, with…"

She broke off, looking down. "I swore revenge on Scorpia that day, as I watched them take away my father's body. I followed you back, and, well, I have my own ways of keeping tabs on MI6. I knew what my father would tell you, but I didn't want you to go to Scorpia. I followed you to Venice; my father had set up a bank in my name for an emergency. From Venice, I saw you meet Nile in that room, then, I waited outside. I followed Tom from there, you were his friend, you'd go to him. And I was right. From there to Naples, then to Consanto. Where, you confronted Nile a second time. I knew it was going to be destroyed, and I waited outside. I guess…I guess I had an idea of what Scorpia were up to. I knew you wouldn't be harmed as long as you were useful to them. As all there recruits are. "

Alex watched her as she thought through what she was saying. He noticed then, for the first time, how alone she looked. Just…separate. From everything.

"I came back to London then. There's no point trying to fly into Malagosto; you'll get shot down before you can even see the place. I waited, keeping an ear out for news. Then I saw that thing on the news, about 'someone' escaping, and knew that I was too late to get to you. I was going to talk to you that day…the day you were shot. Only, Scorpia got there first."

Mrs Jones stopped her. "You knew what was going on the whole time, and you didn't tell us?"  
"That's the problem, see, if I walk into MI6 HQ, guess what happens? I get arrested. Then, you'd never believe me about Alex, and besides, I didn't know exactly what was going on. I had a vague idea, but not enough to convince everybody. If I'd have known they were gonna shoot him, I would've done something," Raisa replied.

Alex nodded. "I don't think I would've believed you, and I know what it's like, to not be believed."  
She gave him a small smile. "Not good, is it?"

The door opening interrupted them, and Alan Blunt walked in. His suit was as grey and as neat as ever, but Alex noticed Raisa move to the edge of her seat, as if she was going to run off at any moment. He gave her a reassuring smile, but for once, she didn't smile back, just watched Blunt carefully.

Upon seeing Raisa, Blunt said nothing, though he frowned a little. He looked across at Alex.  
"Any better?" he asked.  
Alex nodded. "I'm awake now," he answered.  
"Good," Blunt replied, then, as though he didn't want to seem particularly nice, "We want you to come down to Headquarters, to talk about your situation."

He then looked back over at Raisa again.  
"There's some agents outside waiting for you. They're going to accompany you back, where we're going to ask you some questions."  
She looked a little scared for a moment, but then was composed again.  
"Why can't you ask me here?"  
"It's classified."  
"How is it 'classified?' Everything that I'm going to tell you, I've told them already," she retorted.

"We need to know where you've been since Yassen died," Mrs Jones replied. Her black eyes looked up into Raisa's, and the teenager looked away.  
"That's my business," she said, looking up at Blunt.  
"You're still coming with us," he answered sharply. "We need to get everything you know, if we're to help Alex."

"Wow. You're actually gonna help him now, rather than get him killed?" she snapped.  
"We're looking for someone to protect him," Blunt replied. "We need to know everything."  
She smirked, watching him. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were telling the truth," she answered.

Mrs Jones stood, glaring at Raisa. "Why would we want to kill Alex? You talk about it like you've never seen it, which I know you have. Why would we do that to him?"  
Her eyes narrowed. "Why would you? You managed to get his father and uncle killed, and they worked for you by free will. Why is Alex any different?"

The woman looked as though Raisa had just slapped her, and Blunt no different, though he handled it in his own way.  
"Now," he growled, opening the door and gesturing for her to go through. She looked over at Alex, giving him a small smile, then walked out to the agents waiting for her.

Alex shifted, looking at the two from MI6. He thought of something.  
"Why can't Raisa protect me?" he asked.  
They looked shocked, then glanced at eachother. "You do know who – and what – she is, don't you, Alex?" Mrs Jones said.  
Alex nodded. "That's why I'd trust her," he replied.

Blunt shook his head. "She's too dangerous, too unpredictable. She can't be trusted."  
Alex sighed, laying back down. "I'll come to Headquarters when I feel better," he said.

It was the closest thing to a 'get lost' that they'd ever heard from Alex, and the two left. Alex looked over at Jack.  
"She doesn't seem that bad," Jack said, with a smile.  
"I know," replied Alex. "I know."

* * *

A.N: Reviews please! 

Gunner1000: Here's the next update for you!  
Adcohen: Um..thanks )  
Beccamorgan: Thanks for the review, and, I didn't actually know that anyone else had this idea…I thought about it when I was reading Eagle Strike…still…thanks.


	3. Chapter Three: More Questions

**Chapter Three  
More questions**

Raisa sighed as she sat down at the dark grey table in the pale grey room. Her eyes darted around; quick, hunter's eyes, flicking across the four members of security, then finally resting on Blunt, and his two other agents.

Mrs. Jones was, of course, one of them. The other, though, she did not recognise, and watched him closely for a moment. A well-toned, muscular body was visible under the white shirt, which was a little tight, but not too much. Black hair was styled in a modern way, though he watched Raisa closely. Coldly. He'd heard of her, at least.

Blunt sat, looking across at her.  
"Who's the mutt?" she asked, nodding her head at the unknown agent, who glared at her.  
"My other agent's name is Stephen Hill. He has been debriefed about you; he helps Smithers with equipment, but more often, he is in the field."  
Raisa nodded, eyes never leaving the man, who shifted uneasily under her gaze. Eventually, she sat back, attention on Blunt again.

"What do you want to know?"  
"I want to know the real reason you're here, Raisa."  
She sighed quietly.  
"I told you…I came to find Alex. _I _thought he ought to know everything."  
"That's not all you told us," Mrs. Jones replied stubbornly.  
"Yeah, there was something about revenge…Scorpia…y'know, avenging my father's death…blah, blah, blah…Well, it has been nice answering your questions, but I've got plane to catch…" She said it all exceedingly fast, and stood up at the last word.

Stephen watched her stand up. Her gaze flicked across to them, and as Blunt opened his mouth to speak, Stephen got there first.  
"Sit down, Miss Gregorovich."  
She looked back at him, and the whole room seemed to hold its breath, as she gradually smiled. Shaking her head, she sat back down.  
"I think…well, I think that Mr. Hill here, might actually make a good agent," she said slowly. "Though, perhaps he needs to realise that he won't always be in control of every situation."

Mrs. Jones looked a little surprised. It was the first time that Raisa had ever praised a member of MI6, except, of course, for Alex and his father. Shaking it off, she turned back to the file in front of her.

* * *

Alex and Jack managed to convince the doctor that he was well enough to go home, and Alex was at once glad to be back in that familiar place. It seemed a lifetime since he'd last even been in his bedroom, and he was happy just to sit around. Though he had a few phone calls to make first.

As Jack pressed the answering machine, Tom's voice sounded over the speaker.  
_"Hey, Alex, it's Tom…um, I heard about what happened…oh god, I hope you're all right. Just, call me when you get back home, would ya? Thanks, and see you at school. Soon, hopefully."_  
Alex smiled, picturing Tom's worried face in his mind. He was about to pick up the phone, when the tape spat out another message.  
_"Alex, it's Sabina. WHAT THE HELL'S HAPPENED TO YOU! My mom heard that you got shot, and I don't know if you're dead…or injured, or whatever. Make sure you ring me, okay! See you soon."  
_Alex resisted laughing, but was still smiling as Jack walked in with a sandwich for him.  
"What is it?" she asked, handing him the plate.  
He reached over to rewind the tape, but there was one final message to be heard.

"_Mr Rider. This is a call from the secret organisation known as Scorpia. We know where you are, and will find you. However, if you decide to leave the country, by whatever means, we have to warn you. Sabina Pleasure and Thomas Harris are currently in our…care. We do not want to have to harm them, of course, but if there are no other options… We expect to meet you tomorrow, at noon, at the phone box near to the East entrance of the Underground. You may bring Miss Gregorovich with you, if you wish. Someone will pick you up. Be there, or something…unfortunate…may happen."_

Alex dropped his sandwich back onto the plate, and grabbed the phone, dialling a number, whilst Jack took the tape out of the machine.

* * *

"Mr Blunt, there's a phone call for you."  
The young agent that had just walked in looked apprehensively at the figures dotted around the room. Raisa still looked bored, leaning back on the wall.  
"Tell them I'm busy right now. I'm in the middle of an important interview," Blunt snapped.  
"Sir, it's Alex Rider. He says it's extremely urgent."  
"Rider?" echoed Hill, looking at Blunt, who stood.  
"We will resume this interview in ten minutes," he barked, and Raisa smiled a little.

Blunt took the phone from the agent, who scuttled off again.  
"Yes, Alex?"  
"I had a phone call from Scorpia. They're gonna kill Tom and Sab if I don't go to them, and they know Raisa's here too."  
Blunt stopped. "How can they know that?" he hissed down the mouthpiece.  
"I don't know," Alex replied. "I've got the tape, if you come and pick me up, I'll give it to you."  
"Alright," Blunt replied slowly. "I'll send someone to pick you up."

After ordering four agents to pick up Alex Rider and Jack Starbright, he went back into the interview room.  
"Our interview will continue…as soon as possible," he uttered to the silent room. "For now, Miss Gregorovich, you need to come with me."  
She nodded, seeing that something was wrong, and stood. Stephen glanced at her, somewhat angrily, as she brushed past him, following Blunt out of the room.

* * *

A.N: Thanks for all the reviews guys, and sorry for the lack of updates.

Questionablelight: Thanks, and, I will.  
Gunner10: Thanks. Here's the next one for you!  
Becca: Now you can find out! Thanks for your review too.


	4. Chapter Four: A Secret Meeting

**Chapter Four  
A Secret Meeting**

"_You may bring Miss Gregorovich with you, if you wish. Someone will pick you up. Be there, or something…unfortunate…may happen."_

The whole room still sat in a stunned silence. Raisa looked a little worried.  
"They don't know for sure I'm here," she said finally, getting glances from everyone.  
"If they knew I was here, for sure, they'd say I _have _to go. That's just in case I'm here." She sighed. "Either way, it's evident that Alex has to."  
"Why do you say that?" Hill asked.  
Raisa looked shocked now. "How the hell did you manage to get into MI6?" she asked. "Scorpia. Sabotage, Corruption, Intelligence, Assassination. One of the most feared criminal organizations in the world. They'll definitely kill Tom and Sabina if Alex doesn't go. _Definitely. _This isn't a game with them. They're trying to settle a score." She looked away again, but Alex saw it in her eyes. So was she.

"Well, it's clear that we must do something," Blunt said finally. "If, Alex, you want to."  
"Of course I do!" Alex exclaimed.  
Blunt sighed, sitting back. "Unfortunately, I don't think Raisa can go with you."

"What! Of course I can, and I'm going to," she snapped, taking everyone by surprise, especially Hill, who watched her even more carefully.  
"We can't let you run loose on your own, Raisa," Mrs Jones replied. "It's…unsafe."  
Raisa smirked. "I highly doubt that Scorpia will let me 'run loose'" she answered. "If anything, they want to keep watch on me. Check I don't do anything."

Alex sat still, pretty quiet for the moment.  
"We're going then," he said finally. "Tomorrow, noon, east underground entrance. And, they'll make sure you can't follow. Like last time."  
He sighed a little, remembering last time he had been picked up by Scorpia. Though it might be easier to follow if there were two of them.

"Is there anything we can use?" Raisa asked, watching Alex, then turning her gaze back to Blunt as the boy looked up.  
"Smithers might be able to put something together," Blunt replied thoughtfully. "In the meantime, you're to stay here, understand? You don't leave the building."  
She nodded. "Can I leave the room?"  
"Go," Blunt replied, moving back slightly.

Raisa stood, looked at Alex for one lingering moment, then left.  
"Do you really trust her, sir?" asked Hill, voicing almost everyone's doubts.  
"Not entirely," Blunt replied. "Though, she may be loyal to us. If she wants to get back at Scorpia that badly."  
Alex stood. "If you don't mind, Mr Blunt, I'd just like to…look around," he muttered, not meeting the man's eyes.  
"Very well, Alex. Be careful, remember."  
Alex nodded, and left the room.

Mrs Jones looked at the two men. "Whether or not we trust her, Alex does. We need to make sure she doesn't try to influence him in any way, as she may succeed."

* * *

Alex wandered down endless halls, every so often peeking into a room, though its occupants shooed him out even more often. He spotted Raisa as he turned a corner, and walked over to her.  
"Raisa? I never thanked you for warning me."  
She turned to look at him and smiled.  
"No problem," she replied. "I'm just…confused as to why they let me look around. Guess they wanted me out of the way."  
"Hmm…" Alex muttered.  
"So what's it like then?" She asked. "Being a teenage spy?"  
"Annoying. They pull you in whenever is convenient. And, kinda painful."  
She laughed a little.  
"So, what about you?" he asked her. "You seem to know a lot about me, but I don't know anything 'bout you." 

"Well…I was born and brought up in Russia, though I learned a ton of different languages. Hmmm…I went with my dad on some of his missions, and, I've killed, to date, about eight or nine people." She looked down. "I'm not proud of what I did, I s'pose. Two in self-defence, one, because he was getting on my nerves, one by accident, and the others were hits."  
Alex winced slightly.  
"How…how can you do something like that?"  
He didn't mean it to sound rude, though it came out that way.

"I'm sorry, Mr Rider, if some of us can kill. I can't help it; they just happened. Only, I, for one, am always in control of what I'm doing. I haven't killed a load of people by 'accident.' I admit that I've done wrong," she snapped, then turned on her heel and walked off.

Alex sighed. "Oh great. A partner with a short fuse," he muttered.

* * *

A.N: Thank you, people who review. And, I know this one's kind of short, but the next one is longer and more exciting. Way more.

Gunner10: Updated!


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